Stanislawa+Zagonski

On September 30, 1904, Stanislawa Zagonski died in Chicago from an illegal abortion performed that day.

Mrs. Alexander Wojtanowski, whose profession is not given, was arrested and held by Coroner's Jury on October 5.

No matter if Mrs. Wojtanowski was a doctor or not, she was probably far more professional than Joe Bills Reynolds, who killed 21-year-old Gaylene Golden in September 1985. Reynolds had his janitor administering general anesthesia.

Also note, please, that with overall public health issues such as doctors not using proper aseptic techniques, lack of access to blood transfusions and antibiotics, and overall poor health to begin with, there was likely little difference between the performance of a legal abortion and illegal practice, and the aftercare for either type of abortion was probably equally unlikely to do the woman much, if any, good. For more about abortion and abortion deaths in the first years of the 20th century, see [|Abortion Deaths 1900-1909].

For more on pre-legalization abortion, see [|The Bad Old Days of Abortion]

Sources:


 * [|Homicide in Chicago Interactive]

include component="tagCloud"